Cailles glacées au Romanée

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Shallow 8-inch (20 cm) square metal freezer pan
• •5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7-liter) narrow pot with lid
• •Parchment paper cut into a cartouche
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large bowl or roasting pan for an ice-water bath
• •Large oval serving platter, thoroughly chilled

Instructions

1. 1

   Freeze the granité

   Stir the chilled verjuice with ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml / 1.5 g) of the salt until dissolved. Pour it into a shallow metal pan in a layer no deeper than ½ inch (1.25 cm), then freeze for 40 to 50 minutes, until ice gathers around the edges. Rake the frozen edges toward the center with a fork and return the pan to the freezer. Repeat every 25 to 30 minutes until the whole pan holds loose, opaque crystals, about 2½ to 3 hours. If it freezes into a solid slab, don't add sugar or water. Ça se rattrape: leave it at room temperature for five minutes, then rake firmly from one corner until the crystals loosen. Cover and keep frozen.

   A metal pan freezes faster than glass, and the wide surface gives finer crystals. The repeated raking is the granité; without it, you have a block of verjuice ice.
2. 2

   Prepare the quails

   Check the quails for pinfeathers, then pat them completely dry inside and out. Fold each wing tip behind the back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine so the birds keep their shape. Season them evenly with 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 6 g) of the salt and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Do not brown them. A seared fond belongs to another preparation; this one depends on the clean perfume of wine and stock.

3. 3

   Temper the liquor

   Combine the poultry stock and wine in a narrow 5 to 6-quart (4.7 to 5.7-liter) pot. Bring them just to a boil and hold there for two minutes, skimming any foam, then lower the heat until the liquid registers 180°F to 185°F (82°C to 85°C). Dissolve the remaining ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4.5 g) salt in the liquor. It should taste fragrant, lightly seasoned, and brisk with wine, not salty enough to resemble soup.

4. 4

   Poach without boiling

   Lower four quails into the liquor in a single layer and lay a parchment circle directly on the surface. Hold the liquid between 175°F and 185°F (79°C and 85°C), with only an occasional tremor at the edge. Turn the birds once if they are not completely covered and poach for 14 to 18 minutes, until the thickest part of each inner thigh reaches 165°F (74°C). Transfer them to a tray and repeat with the remaining quails. If the liquor breaks into a boil and the skins begin to tighten, lift the pot off the heat and uncover it immediately. Ça se rattrape: wait until the temperature falls below 185°F (85°C), then continue gently.

   Check the smallest bird first. Quails vary in size, and the thermometer decides when each one is ready more honestly than the clock.
5. 5

   Chill in liquor

   Return the first batch of quails to the pot so all eight rest in the poaching liquor. Set the pot in a large ice-water bath and turn the birds gently with clean tongs while the liquor cools. Replace melting ice as needed and bring the liquor below 70°F (21°C) within 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until the quails and liquor reach 40°F (4°C) or colder, at least 2 hours. The quick cooling protects both their texture and the table; don't leave the warm pot on the counter.

6. 6

   Drain the quails

   Lift the chilled quails from the liquor, let them drain well, and blot their skins carefully without rubbing away the wine color. Remove the twine and arrange the birds on a rack in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while the serving platter chills. Do not rinse or oil them. Their finish should be cool and lightly satin-like, not greasy.

7. 7

   Build the rocher

   Rake the granité once more, then mound three quarters of it into an irregular rocher, or rock, at the center of the chilled platter. Arrange the eight quails closely around it, breasts facing outward and legs toward the ice. Crown the rocher with the reserved loose crystals and serve two quails to each guest. If its edges begin to slump, spoon away the melted verjuice and replace it with crystals from the freezer. For an outdoor table, assemble only when everyone is seated and set the platter over a second tray of ice. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source names Romanée, one of Burgundy's rarest wines. If such a bottle is already open, use it; otherwise choose a fragrant, dry red Burgundy made from Pinot Noir. Freshness and perfume matter more than price, while heavy oak or jammy fruit becomes blunt when served cold.
• •White verjuice is the unfermented juice of unripe grapes, not wine vinegar and not sweet grape juice. Bottled verjuice is the classical pantry's honest answer outside harvest. Don't replace it with vinegar and water; its gentler grape acidity is the counterweight that makes this composition work.
• •Use a light, unsalted poultry stock. Dark roasted stock muddies the quails' color, and a heavily salted carton becomes harsh once the cold mutes everything except the salt.
• •Buy plump farmed quails of similar size so they finish together. Frozen birds are perfectly sound when thawed slowly in the refrigerator and dried thoroughly before seasoning.
• •Serve the same style of red Burgundy lightly cool, not refrigerator-cold. It should echo the poaching liquor while the verjuice granité keeps each mouthful alert.

Advance Preparation

• •The verjuice granité can be made up to three days ahead. Rake it into crystals, cover tightly, and rake it again just before building the rocher.
• •The quails can be poached and chilled in their liquor one day ahead. Keep them covered and cold, then drain and dry them 30 minutes before serving.
• •For outdoor dining, transport the quails and granité separately in an insulated cooler with plenty of ice. Assemble the platter at the table and refrigerate any leftovers within two hours, sooner in strong heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 295g)